Collapsible trunk.



B. L. URDANG. GOLLAPSIBLE TRUNK.

APPLICATION FILED M 19, 1013 Patented Feb. 24, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

var/$24? INVENTOI? WITNESSES ATTORNEYS B. L. URDANG.

COLLAPSIBLE TRUNK.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 19, 1913.

Patented Feb. 24, 1914,

8 SHEETS-SHEBT 2.

6 MM T0 e W0 A W W J m 0 WITNESSES ATTORNEYS TE STATES PATENT OFFICE BENJAMIN LOUIS UBDANGYUF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO MICHAEL URDANG, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

COLLAJPSIBLE TRUNK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 24:, 1914:.

Application filed August 19, 1913. Serial N 0. 785,560.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN LOUIS UR- DANG, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved .'ble in use for shipping or storing purposes and adapted to be collapsed when empty and with all of the parts substantially'inclosed between the bottom and the lid,

The foregoing and other objects of the invention will' hereinafter be more fully de-.

scribed and claimed and illustrated in the drawingsformlng a part of this specification in which like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views, and in which- I Figure l is a perspective front view of a trunk made in accordance with this invention, the lid being open and the tray removed; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the tray; Fig. 3. is a vertical transverse section on the line 33 of Fig. 4; Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;-Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of the complete device, one of the hinge clips, however, being in section; Fig. 6 is a. horizontal sect-ion of a detail on the line 66 of Fig. 1; Fig. 7 is a vertical section of a detail ofthe corner piece on the line 7-7 of Fig. 1; Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the upper end of one of the corner pieces; Fig. 9 is a view ofthe tray' partially collapsed; Fig, 10 is a perspective view of the trunk collapsed with all of the parts in place except the lid; Fig. 11 is a transverse section of the complete device collapsed; and Fig; 12 is a detail of the hinge connection for the lid on the line 1212 of Fi 4.

The several parts of the device may be made of any materials found suitable for the particular purposes for which they are used, and the general shape or design of the parts and of the device as'a whole may be "aried the bottom, as shown in Fig. 1.

corner of the trunk is provided a corner to a considerable extent without departing from the spirit of the invention hereinafter fully set forth and specifically claimed.

The emb diment of the invention herein disclosed includes a trunkbody having a hinged lid and also a removable tray. As shown, the main portion or body of the trunk comprises a bottom 15 of rectangular form and having a front stationary panel 16 and a corresponding rear panel 17. These parts may be secured together by any suitable means preferably including metallic reinforcing stripssuch as indicated at 18. The

trunk also has end pieces 19 and 20, each of which 1S hinged at 2-1 to the end of the bottom and they are adapted to fold inwardly upon the bottom toward each other. The end piece 20 may be hinged upon a narrow panel 20 fixed to the end of the bottom 15 in case the said end piece is to be folded upon the opposite end piece 19. After the end pieces are folded inwardly, the front panel 22 folds rearwardly thereupon moving upon hinges 23, and the rear panel 24 is adapted to fold inwardly upon the front panel 22, moving upon hinges 25'. \Vhen the ends and sides of the body of the trunk are elevated into normal open position, their upper edges lie in the same horizontal plane parallel to At each piece 26 made preferably of metal and of the character shown best in Figs. 6 and S. This corner piece is of right angular construction comprising two vertical wings 26 and 26" connected together at the corner in a strong solid rib 26. Each of the wings is open at its edge opposite the corner as shown at 26 said opening being adapted to receive and interlock with a head 26 of the adjacent end or side panel, said head engaging behind a catch 26 formed on one of the walls of the open wing. The upper end of the corner piece is closed, as shown at 26 making a neat and strong construction shown in Fig. 1, but the lower end of the corner piece is open to enable the corner piece to be slipped downwardly into interlocking engagement with the adjacent ends of the end and side panels. The lower end also. of each corner piece. when shoved. home. lies snugly within a corner bracket 27 which is slightly wider or higher than the reinforcing strip 18. baid corner bracket also extends beneath the corner of the bottom so as to make a strong corner connection.

The tray :1 rear panel 30, end panels 31, a bottom 32, and a series of hinges 33 serving to connect the several parts together, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. In folding the tray a tab 34 is pulled upon, breaking the bottom upwardly near its middle and swinging it into the position shown in Fig. 9. The end panels 31 are then broken inwardly toward each other, as shmvn also in Fig. 9, allowing the front panel 29 to collapse upon the folded end panels and close to the rear panel 30. Strips of sheet metal in angular form may be secured, as indicated at 35, to limit the downward movement of the bottom with respect to the end panels. The tray, when in position in the trunk, is adapted to fit snugly within the corner pieces and against the inner walls of the wings thereof and rest with its corners upon brackets 36 formed as parts of the corner pieces 26. These brackets serve also as stitl'eners for said corner pieces.

The lid 37 is of the same general form and character as that of an ordinary trunk, but is detachably hinged to the back panel of the body in a peculiar manner. Referring to Fig. 12 it will be noted that each hinge includes a tongue member 38 hinged to and extending below the rear portion of the lid. Said tongue member 38 may be made of a stiff quality of sheet metal substantially flat but with marginal ilanges 39 which converge toward each other and are adapted to be received snugly in a clip 40 secured to the rear face of the panel 24. A portion of the *lower end of the tongue piece 38 is formed into a finger'41 which projects inwardly at a right angle therefrom through a slot 42 formed vertically through the upper edge of the panel 24. The finger 41 slips downwardly through said .slot while the tongue member 38 enters the clip 40. The panel 24 and its clip 40 constitute the main support for the hinge, and the finger 41 when engaged by a yoke 43 on the inside of the panel 24 serves to prevent the Withdrawal of the hinge from the clip under ordinary conditions. A hinge brace 44 is connected at 45 to the inside of the lid at one end and is detachably connected to a stud 46 on the inner face of one of the end panels. Said brace serves to hold the trunk lid open in proper position, saving the hinges from undue strain. When the lid is to be removed from the body of the trunk for the purpose of collapsing, the brace 44 is broken upwardly and detached from the stud 46. The metal yokcs 43 are then thrown inwardly out of engagement with the fingers 41, leaving the lid free to be lifted bodily out of the 28 comprises a front panel 29,

slots 42 and clips 40. The brace 44 then may fold upon itself within the lid.

The trunk may be trimmed and orna- -mented in any suitable manner and is pro vlded with a lock 47 and hasps 48 'of any.

suitable nature. I also preferably employ straps 49 for the usual purposes and also to hold the device firmly in collapsed position as shown in Fig. 11. Handles 50 and casters 51 may also be provided if desired.

Having thus described my invention, I claim new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a collapsible trunk, the combination with a bottom and side and end panels hinged thereto and adapted to fold inwardly thereupon, ,of a series of rigid vertically slidable corner pieces each comprising a pair of right angularly arranged wings adapted to interlock with adjacent ends of the side and end panels, a tray adapted to fit within the corner pieces and snugly against the inner walls of the several pairs of wings, and brackets 36 carried by the corner pieces to support the tray, said brackets serving also as stiffeners for the pairs of wings. L

The herein described corner piece for a collapsible trunk comprising a pair of wings connected to each other in a right angle forming a rigid corner rib, each wing having an open edge remote from-said .corner and an open bottom, one of the walls of the wing forming the open edge being formed into a hook havinga square shoulder facing toward said rib, and a triangular brace secured on the inner faces of said wings parallel to the end of the device and intermediate of the ends thereof, substantially as set forth.

3. In a device of the character set forth, the combination of a rear panel of the trunk body, said panel having vertical openended slots adjacent its upper edge, a lid, and means to connect the lid detachably to said panel. said means comprising hinges connected to the lid, said hinges including tongue members having right angularly arranged fingers which pass downwardly into said slots and project thence into the interior of the trunk, keepers 40 cooperating with said tongue members on the outside and pivoted yokes 43 on the inside of the trunk engaging said fingers to hold the same in rigid position.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

BENJAMIN LOUIS URDANG. lVitnesses':

Gno. L. BEELER,

PHILIP D. ROLLIIAUS. 

